One of the changes new Georgia athletics director Greg McGarity hopes to make is to cut out some of the “canned music” at Sanford Stadium and create a more “traditional” atmosphere for Bulldog football games.

“So many institutions, I think, maybe go overboard in all this pre-programmed music,” McGarity said. “I’m pretty much a traditionalist, a conservative. If the band’s there, I want to hear the band playing. I think our fans do too.”

I sure do. Yeah, I know I’m a old middle-aged fart. Sue me.

And this really nails it, as far as I’m concerned:

“But it’s something I’m going to start paying attention to a little bit more now that I’m getting used to a lot of things,” McGarity said, “as far as, ‘How is the event presented?’ … Some schools just will wear you out. It’s so loud and annoying, you say, ‘Well, am I at a pro game or am I at a college game?’ I would like to see it run in a more traditional way. I guess it’s just probably being respectful to the college game instead of maybe veering off to the pro approach.”

95 responses to “Change I can believe in.”

Thank freaking God. I seriously question the musical tastes of both our sound technicians and the students. Miley Cyrus’ Party in the USA? Really?? I till hold THAT musical blunder responsible for us losing to Kentucky. Unacceptable to be played in any sports venue

Whats worse is that THE ENTIRE STUDENT SECTION WAS DANCING TO IT (endzone, frat section, and the band section). I even remember they caught one frat-tastic looking guy on camera dancing and singing to it and when he noticed he was on the jumbotron he promptly sat down, dejected. My girlfriend, dad, and I promptly called it a game b/c of that and left home (keep in mind we were up by two scores and I figured we were in good hands…)

At the CU game last weekend they played that queer GT music to get everyone going around each kickoff. I was embarrassed for them until I saw a UGA fan four rows down from me and directly behind our bench (mid 20s) dancing everytime it came on. Amazingly, the girl with him didn’t leave, I assumed he had the return plane tickets.

I was more embarrassed by that goofball than the Christmas gift we handed the Buffs at the end of the game.

thank goodness. 10 minutes inside the stadium at, say, Auburn, where they pipe in crap at earsplitting levels, and every nanosecond the ball isn’t in play is viewed as an opportunity for the frenzied PA screamer to sell things like AU’s upcoming Take Your Tractor to School Day like it was the Normandy invasion are enough to make a reasonable person want to jam a screwdriver deep into his own brain for relief.

If our new AD can arrest the trend in Sanford toward canned music and stupid jumbotron commercials, I will applaud. If he can 86 those stupid ribbon boards (hopefully before they induce us all into epileptic seizures), I may do cartwheels down Sanford Drive.

Amazingly, the only good music they ever piped in was a lyricless version of Soulja Boy. And it was awesome. If you disagree with me, you are very old and will die before I do. And I will have them play Soulja Boy at your service.

The rest of the music is absolutely worthless. And that goes for Braves games too.

The Soulja Boy thing was cool for that one particular season. They’ve gone overboard with something that should have been memorable ever since. And while I love UGA highlights, I’d be fine with not having those obnoxious “insert quarter here” pump up videos anymore. The pre-game videos are fine, the Munson video is classic, but for the rest of the game let the redcoats play. If you can’t get excited while at the game without ringtone music, then stay home and give your ticket to somebody else who can

“Amazingly, the only good music they ever piped in was a lyricless version of Soulja Boy”

I may be old, but your taste in “music” is stupid…and you can’t fix stupid. (h/t Ron White…another old guy)

First, may I remind you that “Glory, Glory” would probably be #1 and “awesome”. But I’ll spot you the distinction you made about piped-in music. The timelessness of Soulja Boy is pretty questionable. While in favor of no piped-in noise and sticking with the Redcoats, the opening of Baba O’Rielly would be the front-runner. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKUBTX9kKEo) Go look it up junior, and good luck with your studies.

P.S. Check Darwin’s theory…you may not last longer than I sonny if that’s your intelligence level.

Aus… I did love the soulja boy that one season and truly think it turned the 2007 season around (see ole miss game 4th quarter onward). The rest was me kidding around (see where I bashed all other piped in music).

I love the redcoats. I love the organ player at braves games. And I can live with baba orieley but it’s a little old (I’m 31)(Tell your dad what we said about paint it black..)

if I had my way we’d hear munson video and nothing else other than the bands. And for heavens sake get rid of the pumped in chapel bell though at this point in the season it’d be nice to hear.

As a STUDENT and not an old fart, I fully support McGarity on this decision. I wish it would be effective immediately because our in game music is terrible.

However, if we had decent music that our team would like to listen to (yes some hip/hop and rap) and a decent sound system in Sanford, I would be against this.

But no we don’t. Just like our football team, whoever coordinates the music is failing miserably with here comes the boom, the aforementioned Miley Cyrus debacle from last year, and other generic early 2000s alternative top 200 “hits”.

Just go to the locker room, ask the players, “Hey guys, within reason, what songs would y’all like to hear?” Make a list and then play those songs

Fantastic! Colorado was fine, except for the blaring music right in our faces!

I can’t stand canned music at football games. (Pros don’t count – I’ll never go anyway.)

And for the record, yeah, I’m an old fart like the Senator. An old fart that’s seen Zepplin, Clapton, Pearl Jam, Offspring, Dick Dale (look him up), and all sorts of ear-splitting music. Loud music is fine. Just not at football games. I want to hear the moans of the defeated players (hopefully theirs).

That had to be Damon’s doing, glad we have someone who now respects TRADITION and the College game, heck most of the people at the game are old farts like us!!, maybe the Dawgs can find their way afterall!! Party in the USA? Holy CRAP!

While I support his viewpoint on band music at CFB games, I am afraid there will be fewer fans to appreciate once he implements his “cupcake explosion” scheduling policy. Even great college band music will not overcome 12:00 gameday starts against directional schools and 1AA opponents. At a time when businesses are looking for value-added ideas, our leader is subtracting from the experience.

A.) Richt would NEVER allow a Slayer song, much less Raining Blood to be played
and, B.) This song is much better IMO:

(Not that Richt would go for Rage Against the Machine, specifically a song that calls out our police, government, and military – though the stabs at the police could be kind of funny considering the players misfortunes in that department)

Will you get off this cupcake BS, Mac? Face it. McGarity is doing the right thing for the team to be successful in the future. We got into this mess in part through stupid scheduling errors by DE. We now have an AD who is not f*cked up. How about getting behind the program and supporting it instead of bitching that you can’t have your way about everything? You still have that damn millstone around UGA’s neck, the killer away game every year in JAX, so you can have your fun at the beach. Be glad you have that. If I were AD the series would be home and home (or at least in the Dome every other year) and you would have to lease out your condo on Amelia Island to somebody that weekend.

You have a lot of nerve Mayor. It is OK for you to post ad nauseum about how you want to play every HS program in the country in Athens, then award your self a meaningless trophy/title. I disagree vehemently with that position, and think it is pathetic, but I don’t come on here and tell you you’re not allowed to think differently. And I feel it is YOUR position that will drag the program down, but never have said you should quit. You have your opinion, and I have mine, but don’t tell me I should back off. Meaningless cupcake wins are just that, enjoy them if you wish, but don’t expect everyone to pretend they are anything but demeaning. I would rather see a G day type scrimmage than that garbage. But that is just me, maybe there will be 93K who will fill the seats for that, I won’t be bidding the ticket prices up.

No Mayor, it is an opinion. I cannot be pompous enough to suggest all others be quiet, even if I think their opinions are not well thought out. You have a right to espress yours, and not be chastised for it. Guess yours is the only one that should be heard. Go to the trophy store in your town and buy you one, it obviously doesn’t matter how it was obtained. Hey, we give trophies/awards to all the kids who play in Little League these days.

My, what a thin skin you have Mac. I’m just calling you out for being FOS about something, is all. Happens all the time, every day, on this blog. Take it like a man. And your opinion about this is all wet. McGarity is doing a great job. And, by the way, I don’t need to buy any trophies. My trophy case is full of them.

As a student, I can say that most of the student section would agree with this, at least to a point. I’m among the few holdouts that still remember the words to ‘Hail to Georgia’ and sing it after every touchdown, so I guess you could say I’m on the “traditional” end of things. That being said, if our boys want to show off a little swagger and dance a little on the sidelines to a rap beat that’s fine with me, but I can guarantee NONE of them get pumped when they hear Miley Cyrus.

You will be OK with the NCAA ’cause you will no longer be an active member of the team. The SEC, however, will flag you in absentia for unsportsdoglike conduct and the team will have to kick from the 15 yard line every kickoff for the rest of the season. But if any Dawg offensive player so much as smiles after scoring a TD the SEC refs will flag that player for celebration and the Dawgs will have to kick from the goal line on the ensuing kickoff.

First off, every post on this topic should start with your age so everyone knows your frame of reference.

I’m 35. Right or wrong, the whole idea of the piped in music is to keep the crowd enthusiastic and involved in the game – in particular during timeouts and breaks in the action. And since it is the students who are normally the loudest, that is who the music is catered to.

I understand the idea of the Redcoats and agree that their point is to be the music of the stadium. But ask this – which songs other than Krypton does the band play that the crowd, and in particular students, go nuts over? But play Party in the USA (which is gawd awful) and the students start dancing away. Or which song does the band play that the players start dancing to? And consequently when the players start dancing, what happens to our crowd?

I’m a fan of the Redcoats. I’m the only one of my group that stays to hear them after the game. And again, I’m not saying the piped in music is right in terms of a traditional college experience. But just why they think they need to play it.

Conforming with earlier requests: I’m 52, liked the Soulja Boy thing during the AU blackout game, but see it as an exception to prove a rule. Which is: play the piped in stuff rarely and only if specific music can be matched to specific occasion.

But perhaps my age explains why I’m fine with the RCB playing “Paint it Black” pretty much any game and have fond memories of “Dooley’s Junkyard Dawgs” (except for the game at which James Brown actually performed it).

I was among the most vocal about his scheduling philosophy, which I still say sux to the max. But this is a huge step in the right direction. Maybe I can hear my neighbor now when we are discussing a play.

I didn’t really care either way, but I will say that the music at the Arkansas game was entirely too loud. It’s one thing to not be able to hear your neighbor speak because the stadium is going crazy, but when it’s just blaring speakers, come on.

I think that UGA had about the perfect balance for it already. I don’t like being at a place like USC-E or Tech that pumps in music during every stoppage in play. However, the well-placed fire-up music was great for the students and also great for the players. I’m glad that you’re all happy, but it is an old-fart thing to worry about. I know that you guys donate the money and you support the program and you kids had better get off of my lawn and whatnot, but college football is for the college kids. It should be much more about them than it is the alumni in the stands. I’m 30, so my perspective may shift as I get older, but as it stands now, this is a bad idea.

What the…?! “…college football is for the college kids.” Son, that may be the dumbest, most naive statement ever uttered in the history of the NCAA (btw – who we sued and beat in order to keep our logo revenue, TV money, etc.)

Look kid…We don’t give a damn if ANY kids other than our 5 -Star atheletes show up on game day, ya hear?! College football is about U$! Just who the heck do you thing is paying for your stadium, study halls, playground facilities, etc., etc. etc.??

There is just not a dang lick ‘o sense in you, is there? Now down in front! Can’t see them pretty little co-ed’s from my luxury box.

I know how you feel, Scorpio. Maybe we can get Stephen Hawking to do a Discovery Channel special on how losing football games affects the space/time continuum. Maybe we really ARE in some kind of black hole literally, rather than just figuratively.

Scorpio, don’t let that faze you. Once upon a time in 1980, when men were men and Herschel roamed the field, we beat S Carolina and George Rogers on national tv (a big event in those primitive days). A huge band party was held postgame on the front steps of the KA house on Lumpkin, which spilled off in all directions, and the band played Another One Bites the Dust as several upsets of teams ranked ahead of us were announced (see, in those days, no ESPN, no internet, and no cell phones with ScoreMobile that could tell you up to the minute scores of all games involving top 25 teams).

the crowd went wild. It was good to be a Bulldog. It was good to hear that song at that moment. Any time I’ve heard it since, it reminds me of that day. Consider me sentimental.

Not that I want to hear techno, but I think they do a good job with sandstorm at South Carolina games. After seeing those new commercials for the movie Red, I could definitely go for some AC/DC “Thunderstruck” or “Back in the Saddle Again.” Max two times a game.

Quote Of The Day

“But outside of that, the biggest advantage you can have is have good leadership, have a veteran football team, and when you’ve got that, it doesn’t matter whether you have spring practice or not. When you don’t have that, it’s tougher, when you don’t have leadership and you don’t have the experience at certain positions.”— Kirby Smart, Dawgs247, 3/31/20